Apparatus for subjecting clothes to ultra-violet radiation and ozone in laundry operations



w. R. REDD 1,948,239 APPARATUS FOR SUBJECTING CLOTHES T0 ULTRA-VIOLET Feb. 20, 1934.

RADIATION AND OZONE IN LAUNDRY OPERATIONS Filed May 12, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet; l

w.- 'REDD APPARATUS FOR SUBJECTING CLOTHES TO ULTRA 1,948,239 -VIOLET Feb. 20, 1934.

RADIATION AND OZONE IN LAUNDRY OPERATIONS Filed'May 12, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet. 2

Patented Feb. 20, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE APPARATUS FOR SUBJECTING CLOTHES TO ULTRA-VIOLET RADIATION AND OZONE IN LAUNDRY OPERATIONS William R. Redd, Western Springs, 111 assignor to Milprint Products Corporation, Milwaukee, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Application May 12, 1932. Serial No. 610,971 '1 Glaims. (on. 68-11) My invention relates to an apparatus or matreated clothes in a manner convenient for the chine which is used in power laundries for the operator to handle them. treatment of clothes and fabrics by exposure to These parts are all associated in a suitable comartificially produced ultra-violet radiation and pact relation and mounted upon a frame which i ozone. renders the structure portable so that it may be so My object primarily is to provide a machine or conveniently positioned for operation in conapparatus which is positioned to receive the junction with other laundry machinery. The clothes from any of the operations of the laundry, frame in the construction shown includes two end preferably the mangling operation and to subsections of rectangular formation, composed of ject the clothes to ultra-violet radiation while vertical p t uprights 1 connected by ppe the clothes are moving and in a continuous operand lower horizontal members 2. The two end ation, without interfering with or slowing down sections are held in rigid relation by upper and the movement of the clothes as they are handled lower horizontal members 3 extending from one in the laundry. end section to the other. The-various parts of II A further object of my invention is to provide, the frame are preferably made up of pipe conin the above apparatus, means for subjecting nected by suitable fittings but, of course, this both sides of the clothes passing ther'ethrough frame may be constructed in any desired manner; to treatment of ultra-violet radiation and ozone, The rear of the structure is positioned beneath A further object is to provide, in association a horizontal shaft 5 which is mounted in suitable so with an ozone generator, means for subjecting earin s in h r m m mber 6. The shaft 5 the air entering the ozone generator to de-humidcarries a large roll '7 around which an endless reification so that the production of ozone for the ceiving belt 8 s intended to travel These p s purpose will not be affected by seasonal conditions represent the delivery d of s m achine in of the atmosphere or temperature and humidity e a y which p o s a p ec d p a- 25 conditions of the air in the laundry rooms. tion, Suehfl t fla -W man le- A further object is to provide a unitary portable In the Structure w the c t s A are d sstructure in which the various parts are associat c r d item e a gle belt. 8 dow wa y by ed in compact operative relation, easily accesslgravity as the belt t v ls a un the T011 ble for inspection and repair or renewal. e y are fed to the pp Tear id f the 80 Other objects of the invention will appear continuously moving belt 10 Of a veyo hereinafter. mounted in the frame. This, belt 10 travels My invention is illustrated as embodied in the ou d he f rward and rear rolls 11 and 12 structure shown in the accompanying drawings, respectively, which are carried by the shafts 13 in which and 14 respectively. The rear conveyor shaft 35 mg 1 i a vertical sectional view of an appa.. is mounted in suitable bearings. at each 00 ratus embodying my invention, taken substanwhich bearings are supported in upright tiauy on the line of Fig 2 and I members 16 of the frame. In like manner. the Fig 2 is a front View or the structure partly forward shaft 13 is mounted in suitable bearings in Section and partly broken away to better- 1'7 in forward uprights 18 of the frame, this shaft 40 being positioned higher in the frame so that the .95 close the relation of the essentialoperatlng parts. belt is m 61in e d enemn u am to rd the In the structure shown in the drawings, I have front 01 the macmgne PW tive relationship assoclated 9 t m opera The belt may be dr1ven 1n any suitable manner means constituting a source of ultra-violet radiafor the purpose but [I find it advantageous to I 45 151011 1 the p of treatmg W filothes, connect it with the mangle from which the means for genera-hug ozone and shblectmg the clothes are received so that its speed of operclothes to the treatment of ozone; a means for 'atjon will be maintained in unison with that f t eating the ai Supplied Said generator to the mangle. The mangle shaft 5 and the rear process of de-humidification so that the seasonal haft 14 are provided with sprockets 20 and 21 50 or humidity conditions within the room do not around which the chain 22 travels to drive the affect the production of ozone, and means for conveyor rol1=r12. Both of the shafts l3 and 14 continuously receiving the clothes to be treated are likewise provided with sprockets 23 around and passing them in proper relation to radiation which a drive chain 24 travels so that the forfrom said source of ultra-violet radiation and to ward roll of the conveyor will be driven accord- 55 the ozone treating means, and discharging the ingly and motion imparted to the conveyor belt come dampened or wet by clothes coming from the mangle in a partially dry condition.

The rear end of the conveyor belt is positioned below the mangle belt 8 so that the clothes A will be fed onto the upper reach of this belt. The clothes are then carried forward by the belt 10 and discharged downwardly from the forward end of the conveyor, as shownmore clearly infFig. 1. In leaving the forward end of the conveyor, the clothes discharge substantially vertically downward onto a suitable receiv; ing table from which they are taken by the operator to be wrapped in bundles.

In the present apparatus, the clothes 'are treated on both sides with both ultra-violet radiation and ozone. A group of lamps C extending substantially the width of the conveyor are positioned above the rear end of the conveyor so as to direct their radiation upon quite an expanse or area of one side of the clothes as the clothes feed downwardlyfrom the mangle onto the conveyor belt 10. These lamps, which constitute a source of ultra-violet radiation may be of any suitable type for the purpose, but I prefer to use the type of lamp known as the Cooper-Hewitt mercury vapor lamps which. are generally recognized as lamps suitable as a source of ultra-violet radiation. These lamps are in the form of straight vacuum tubes and two of them are arranged end to end to provide radiation throughout the width of the conveyor belt. These lamps may be mounted in any suitable way in the machine. I have shown them as suspended by the bracket members 30 from the housing 31 which encloses the entire structure. The bracket members 30 'also support suitable reflectors 32, positioned in proper relation to the lamps to deflect their radiation onto the clothes as they pass the lamps.

The rear lamps thus described are positioned as before mentioned to project radiation upon and treat the upper surface of the clothes A as they travel from the mangle onto the conveyor belt 10. In order now to treat the other side of the clothes in like manner to ultra-violet radiation, I position a similar group of lamps D in the forward portion of the machine immediately adjacent the rear side of the clothes A as they feed vertically downwardly from the conveyor 10. These lamps are similar to the lamps C and their radiation is disti ibuted throughout the width of the structureby the use of two lamps. They are positioned beneath the forward end of the conveyor adjacent the path of the moving clothes but on the opposite side thereof and are supported by the bars 33. Curved reflectors 84 are likewise provided to deflect radiation from the lamps to the face of the clothes A while these clothes are in vertical position in dischargin from the forward end of the conveyor. Thus both sides of the clothes are equally treated by subjection to exposure from the ultra-violet lamps C and D.

Immediately below the forward lamps D, I

provide two long, horizontally disposed tubes or pipes 35 and 36 which are supported by brackets 37 mounted in the frame. These tubes are spaced apart sufficiently so that the clothes feeding downwardly from' the forward end of the conveyor will pass between the two pipes. Each pipe is provided with a longitudinal series of small, closely spaced holes or openings 39 which form nozzles and which are directed toward opposite sides or surfaces of the clothes A and spray numerous jets of ozone against the moving clothes. At one side of the machine, the bracket 3'7 is formed as a manifold 40, connecting the corresponding ends of the two pipes 35 and 36. At the opposite end the pipe 35 is closed while the end of the pipe 36 is connected by a pipe 42 with a source of ozone supply.

The ozone for this purpose may be supplied by any suitable type of generator. I prefer, however, to utilize the type of ozone generator which constitutes the subject matter of my co-pending application Ser. No. 626,371 filed July 30, 1932. In the present machine, this ozone generator is mounted upon the forward or front side of the frame, preferably in the center thereof. The

generator is represented by the'housing E which is vertically positioned and carries at its upper end a domeF through which air is circulated for treatement to an electric discharge for the purpose of generating ozone. The pipe 42, as shown more clearly in Fig. 2, extends upwardly and connects with the discharge outlet of the ozone generator so as to supply ozone to the spray nozzle pipes 35 and 36. The intake of the ozone generator. is connected by means of the pipe 43 to a supply of air which is subjected to a dehumidifying process for the purpose of removing Y the moisture from the air prior to its admission to the ozone generator.

In the generation of ozone, asis well known, the presence of moisture in air which is subjected to an electrical discharge detrimentaily affects the process. For this reason, I treat the air to de-humidification by refrigerating it, prior to itsbeing supplied to the ozone generator. Any suitable means for chilling or reducing the temperature of the air to the desired degree may be used for this purpose. I prefer, however, to associate a refrigerating mechanism with this structure by mounting in the base portion thereof a complete refrigeration unit. This refrigerating mechanism is represented by the structures G and H, G being the operating unit and H being the cooling chamber through which the air is passed. The cooling chamber H is ,connected by the pipes 45 with the operating unit and these connecting pipes carry the refrigerant to coils 46 within the chamber H. The outlet of the cooling chamber H is connected to the pipe 43 for supplying air to the ozone generator. The inlet for the cooling chamber is through a suitable blower 47 mounted in the lower portion of the frame. The outlet 48 of the blower-is connected to the chamber H and the blower inlet through which the atmospheric .air enters is through the opening 49 of the blower. The blower supplies the proper pressure for circulating the air tem.

The housing 31 hereinbefore referred to may be arranged to enclose substantially the entire operating parts so as to protect said parts and present aflnished appearance for the structure. The rear wall of the housing has an opening 50 through which the clothes are fed from the mangle to the rear end of the conveyor belt. The discharge opening 51 at the front of the machine is effectively formed by the space between the ozone spray nozzle pipes 35 and 36, the upper and lower portions of the front wall of the housing being offset accordingly. If desired, a window. opening, covered by glass 52, can

and ozone through the sysincluding, zontally disposed rotating rolls at its front and amount of radiation to permeate the room out-- side of the machine and makes the operating conditions pleasant for the operator.

It is obvious that changes may be made in the construction and operation of 'parts without departing from the spirit of the invention and it is understood that I contemplate such changes as fairly fall within the scope 'of. the applied claims.

I claim:-

1. An apparatus of the class described, including, in association, a continuously traveling belt conveyor adapted to receive the clothes to be treated at its rear end and discharge them at its forward end; lamps constituting sources of ultra-violet radiation arranged adjacent said belt conveyor, and positioned to direct their rays upon opposite sides of said clothes, and an ozone-generating device having means disposed on opposite sides of the clothes as they leave the belt conveyor for directing ozone upon both sides of the clothes.

2. An apparatus of the character described, including, in association, an endless, substantially horizontally disposed belt carrier adapted to receive clothes at its rear end upon its upper side and discharge the clothes from its forward end so that the clothes leave the conveyor in a substantially vertical direction, lamps constituting a source of ultra-violet radiation positioned at the rear of said belt carrier adjacent its upper side to direct radiation upon the upper side of the clothes as they are received upon the conveyor, additional lamps producing ultraviolet radiation positionecl beneath the forward end of the belt carrier to direct their radiation upon the opposite side of the clothes as they leave the conveyor, ozone spraying means disposed adjacent the path of the clothes as they leave the conveyor. spaced apart to permit the clothes to pass therebetween, for directing ozone upon both sides of the clothes, and means for supplying ozone to said spraying means.

3. An apparatus of the character described,

in association, a frame having horirear portions, an endless belt traveling around said rolls and forming a continuously moving conveyor, means for delivering the clothes at the rear of said conveyor on the upper side thereof; lamps constituting a source of ultraviolet radiation positioned above the rear of said conveyor to direct their radiation upon the clothes as they are received upon the conveyor;

additional ultra-violet radiation lamps positioned beneath the forward end of the conveyor to direct their radiation upon the opposite side of the clothes as the clothes leave the forward end of the conveyor ,in a substantially vertical direction, horizontally disposed pipes arranged in parallel relation and spaced apart to let the clothes pass therebetween as they leave the conveyor, and having nozzle openings distributed along their length to direct jets of ozone against the opposite surfaces of the clothes, and means for supplying ozone to said pipes.

4. An apparatus of the character described, including, in association, a frame having horizontally disposed rotating rolls at its front and rear portions, an endless belt traveling around said rolls and forming a continuously moving conveyor, means for delivering the clothes at the rear of said conveyor on the upper side thereof; lamps constituting a source of ultra-violet radiation positioned above the rear of said conveyor to direct their radiation upon the clothes as they are received upon the conveyor; additional ultraviolet radiation lamps positioned beneath the forward end of the conveyor to direct their radiation upon the opposite side of the clothes as the clothes leave the forward end of the conveyor in a substantially vertical direction,, horizontally disposed pipes arranged in parallel relation and spaced apart to let the clothes pass therebetween as they leave the conveyor, and having nozzle openings distributed along their length to direct jets of ozone against the opposite surfaces of the clothes, an ozone generator mounted upon said frame and connected with said pipes for supplying ozone to said nozzle openings, and means for refrigerating the air to said ozone generator to de-humidify said air.

5. An apparatus of the character described, including, in association, a supporting frame, a substantially horizontally disposed belt conveyor mounted in the upper portion of the frame and inclined upwardly toward the front of said frame and arranged to receive clothes to be treated on its upper sideat therear end portion thereof and to discharge the clothes in a downward direction from the forward end thereof, lamps constituting sources of ultra-violet radiation positioned adjacent the path of the moving clothes on opposite sides thereof to direct radiation against both sides of the moving clothes; an ozone generator mounted on said frame, parallelly disposed pipes spaced apart to permit the moving clothes to pass therebetween, connected with and supplied by ozone from said generator, said pipes having nozzle openings distributed along their length and directed toward both sur-' faces of the moving clothes passing between said pipes, and a refrigerating device mounted in the lower portion of the frame and connected with said ozone generator for supplying de-humidified air to said generator.

v 6. An apparatus of the character described comprising a supporting frame, horizontally disposed parallel rolls mounted in the rear and forward portions of said frame; an endless belt traveling around and driven by said rolls to form a continuously moving conveyor; means for delivering the clothes to the rear end of the conveyor on the upper side thereof, said conveyor being arranged to discharge the clothes downwardly in a substantially vertical direction from the forward end thereof; a series of mercury vapor lamps constituting a source of ultra-violet radiation and disposed endto end adjacent the upper rear side of the conveyor in position to direct radiation against one face of the clothes as the clothes are received upon the conveyor; a second series of mercury vapor lamps disposed end to end and positioned beneath the forward end of the conveyor adjacent the path of the clothes as they leave the conveyor for directing radiation upon the opposite surface of the clothes; 9. pair of pipe members mounted in said frame and positioned adjacent opposite sides of the clothes as they leave the conveyor, said pipes having each a series of nozzle openings distributed along their length to direct jets of ozone againstthe passing clothes and ozone generating mechanism, mounted upon the frame and connected with said pipes for supplying ozone thereto, a refrigerating device mounted in the lower portion of the frame and connected with said ozone generator for de-humidifying the air supplied to said generator and a blower for circulating air through said refrigerating device, ozone generator and said nozzle pipes.

7. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a supporting frame having horizontally disposed shafts mounted in hearings in said frame, one of said shafts being disposed adjacent the rear side of the frame and the other adjacent the forward side of the frame; means connected between said shaft for driving said shafts in unison; rolls mounted upon the shafts and an endless belt traveling around said rolls and constituting a conveyor, means for delivering clothes to the upper side of said conveyor at the rear end thereof; a driving connection beframe for generating a supplyof ozone neath the forward end of the conveyor for directing radiation upon the opposite side-of the cloths as they leave the forward end of'the conveyor; means mounted adjacent the path of movement of the clothes for directing a spray of ozone against opposite sides of the clothes after they leave the conveyor; and means supported by the for said spray-directing means.

WILLIAM R. REDD. 

